Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Individuals Living with Sound Sensitivity.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a notably tough period as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
